Saturday, May 3, 2014

The Last, Long Mile of the Stonehell 2 Journey

I've been keeping the masses informed about the progress of the Stonehell Dungeon sequel over on the books' Facebook and Google+ pages, but new milestones have been reached. I thought I'd share that report here, along with a preview of the cover art and links to other associated projects.

Stonehell Two Status Report (5.3.14)

I’m extremely pleased to break the month-long silence with
news that all the last elements of the book are coming together. As predicted,
I didn’t have much to report as the book’s progress relied on other people’s
contributions and wasn’t directly in my hands. It amazing how things move
forward when I’m not the one responsible for pushing the project along. This
report brings us two big pieces of news: the finalization of the sequel’s cover
art and the edited manuscript back in hand.

J.A. D’Andrea, who did the cover of the first Stonehell
book, is providing the cover art for the sequel. I’m always greatly impressed
by J.A.’s work, but his piece for the sequel really struck a chord. He did a magnificent
job of expressing the depths of Stonehell Dungeon and the strange mentality
that accompanies those who tread its halls. I’m proud to feature this one on
the cover, not only because it’s good, but because having J.A.’s work reappear
makes a nice book-end for the Stonehell series. Other pieces of art are also
trickling in, meaning that I’ll soon have all the components needed to push on
to final layout.

I have also received the edited manuscript back from the
outside editor. I’m happy to report that my own three passes over the draft
were not in vain and that the editor found only minor corrections that need to
be implemented. This was a great relief, as my mind always suspects the worse
when I send things off for others to review. However, in this case at least,
the worry was unfounded.

Here’s what remains to be done on the punch list:

1) Implement the minor changes required by the manuscript.

2) Collect the last stray pieces of art.

3) Finalize the layout by adding the art, tweaking the
format, and including the various legalese, index, credits, and “special thanks
to” sections.

4) Compose the cover.

5) Get a printer’s proof made and review it.

6) Make any final changes required by the proof.

7) Publication.

As you can see, there’s still a little work to be done, but
we’re heading into the last mile of the journey. Unfortunately, and you knew
there had to be an “unfortunately” if you’ve been following this project, I’m
running into a time crunch. The success of the Metamorphosis
Alpha Kickstarter left me with a few pressing projects that need completion
ASAP. I need to get these off my plate before I can attend to the sequel. I
also have North Texas RPG Con in a month and
must complete the last adventure that needs writing before I get on the plane
for Dallas (space remains in at least two of my games if you’re interested). I’d
hoped to be able to debut Stonehell 2 at North Texas, but, barring a miracle of
time and effort, I doubt this will occur. Rest assured, I’m eager to complete
Stonehell 2 and bid a fond farewell to the project. I’ll continue to push ahead
when I can and I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

Once again, I thank you for your patience, but know that we’re
almost there. In the meantime, I ask anyone who enjoys my work to check out the
latest Goodman Games’ Kickstarter
for The Chained Coffin, a new adventure penned by me that centers on a hexcrawl
through a “fantasy Appalachia” as inspired by the work of Manly Wade Wellman.
The Chained Coffin is one of my favorite works to date and I think it
demonstrates admirably the goal of DCC RPG going back to the source material of
the hobby and doing new and interesting things with the Appendix N material.

Who's to Blame

Despite having never been a professional adventurer, Michael Curtis has nonetheless deciphered cryptic writings, handled ancient maps and texts, ridden both a camel and an elephant, fallen off a mountain, participated in a mystical rite, and discovered the resting places of lost treasures. He can be contacted at poleandrope @ gmaildotcom